Children got a small taste of Halloween at Powerhouse Christian Church's "Trunk-or-Treat" event in Wyckoff Sunday. A rash of recent luring attempts against children in Bergen County has many parents worried about whether to let their children trick-or-treat this year.Dan Ivers/NJ.com

BERGEN COUNTY — Leah and Bob Genuario had no illusions of allowing their two young children trick-or-treat alone this year.

But with recent weeks bringing various reports of men trying to lure young children into their vehicles across Bergen County and other ares of North Jersey, the Hawthorne couple wonders whether they'll ever feel comfortable turning them loose on Halloween.

"Ours are seven and five - we're on high alert," said Bob. "I coach soccer, and I've been yelling at the kids when they even start to wander away from the group at all. That's how paranoid I am."

The Genuarios were among dozens of parents on hand at Powerhouse Christian Church in Wyckoff Sunday afternoon for its third annual "Trunk-or-Treat". Three days shy of Halloween, children paraded around a large gathering room before breaking off and taking candy from various tables - or "trunks" - set up in a semi-circle.

None of the parents said they had brought their children to the event as a replacement for old-fashioned trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods, but many admitted to pondering whether the tradition they once enjoyed might be forever changed.

"I wouldn't send my kids on their own," said parishioner Rick Sonderfan. "As long as I'm with them, I think it's okay. But it certainly makes you think about at what age you would."

Area police have advised parents to stress extreme caution to their children, which they admit is likely to drive up reports. Several incidents have turned out to be hoaxes or simple misunderstanding, such as in Woodcliff Lake, when a neighbor's offer for children to pet his dog led to a police report and chatter across the small town.

Nevertheless, the scares have caused parents and police alike to pay special attention to Halloween, when groups of children roam neighborhoods, often unsupervised, seeking candy from adults.

In a statement to the media last week, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said he had taken several calls from parents wondering whether he thought it was safe to allow their children to go trick-or-treating.

He suggested events such as Sundays "trunk-or-treat" that allows children to have a similar experience, with the added benefit of constant supervision and a controlled environment.

"I know it’s terribly scary for parents, and highlights the fact that at times this is a very dangerous world to grow up in," Fox said.

"Trunk-or-treaters" dipped candy into a chocolate fountain at Wyckoff's Powerhouse Christian Church on Sunday. Dan Ivers/NJ.com

For parents of young children like the Genuarios and Sonderfan, the decision may seem easy. But for those with slightly older children, it may be more complicated.

Jeannette Ramos of Westwood was shopping at a Route 17 costume store last week with her eight-year-old son, who she planned to accompany during neighborhood trick-or-treating on Wednesday.

Her older son, however, who is 13, had planned to spend the night with friends, and was resistant to the idea of being accompanied by his mother.

"It's hard. I probably wouldn't worry if it wasn't for all these scary thing's I've been hearing," she said. "I understand he's at that age, and I want to let him have fun, and have the same Halloweens that I used to have. I want to trust and believe that he's going to be fine, but now, I don't know."